1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system suitable for application to a system in which a communication terminal such as a mobile phone unit is used and to a communication terminal that is used for such system as well as a communication method that is applied to such system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile phone units including such function as a noncontact IC card, FRID (Radio Frequency Identification) and the like and capable of short-range (close) wireless communication with a reader/writer in proximity thereto, for example, about several centimeters without contact have been commercially available. With such short-range wireless communication function, mobile phone units can be used as a ticket for public transportation, electronic money, credit card, personal authentication card and the like.
For example, if a mobile phone unit having the electronic money function is used and a user deposits a certain amount of money into the unit beforehand, the user can pay for merchandise purchased and the like within the deposited amount of money in a shop where a reader/writer for the relevant electronic money function is provided. If the mobile phone unit has the credit card function, the user can pay for the purchased merchandise similarly and the paid amount of money will be later withdrawn from a bank account.
Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3107749 discloses an example of an electronic card for personal authentication, which can be used as the electronic money and credit card.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-172514 discloses an example of a system in which a mobile terminal communicates with an information center, sends information on a position of the terminal to the center, and obtains map information from the information center based on that position.